ERIC ED503498: Career Paths for Community College Leaders. Research Brief. AACC-RB-02-02

16 Pages·2002·0.25 MB·English

by  ERIC

No. 2
R E S E A R C H B R I E F
Leadership
Series
Career Paths
AACC-RB-02-2
for Community College Leaders
Marilyn J. Amey and Kim E. VanDerLinden
E X E C U T I V E S U M M A R Y
W
ith about four-fifths of incumbent community college presidents planning to retire within 10 years
(Weisman and Vaughan 2002), leadership development is now an essential focus for community colleges.
Successful colleges of the future will be the ones that today are cultivating new generations of leaders at all
administrative levels. Community colleges must consider not only the presidency but the range of career
positions including administrators, faculty, and staff. This research brief presents the results of a 2000 survey
of community college senior administrators; the study examined career paths and backgrounds as well as the
mechanisms administrators used to upgrade their skills and acquire additional knowledge and training.
Highlights of survey results: college (25 percent) and senior academic affairs/
instruction officer (15 percent) (Figure 1).
• The most likely previous position of community
college presidents was provost (37 percent), • 22 percent of presidents were promoted to
followed by president of another community the presidency from within their institution;
66 percent came from other community
colleges. Chief academic officers were more
likely to be promoted from within their
institution (52 percent) than to be hired from
FIGURE 1 Immediate Past Positions of
Presidents: 2000 another community college (28 percent).
Other Administrative Position
12%
Public School Administration • Women were underrepresented in certain
2%
Community College Dean/Director of administrative positions, most notably the
System Administrators Continuing Education
2% 3% offices of president (27 percent women),
occupational or vocational education director
Faculty
2%
(29percent women), and chief financial officer
Senior Academic Provost (30percent women).
Affairs/Instruction Officer 37%
15%
• 22 percent of the surveyed senior administrators
had attended or completed a degree at a
community college.
President at Another
Community College
25%
• 56 percent of administrators indicated they had
Note: Percentages do not add up to 100 because of rounding.
a mentor.
Objectives of This Research Brief
al. (1985) survey for language and terminology in
order to provide data for direct comparison. We
F
or community colleges, a period of increased also constructed some additional questions. Our
growth and organizational diversification is becom- additions represent current trends, issues, and foci
ing even more challenging because of unprecedented of community college leaders, and are based on an
faculty, staff, and administrative turnover (Shults extensive literature review of other key administra-
2001). Community colleges, with their diverse mis- tive studies and instruments.
sions and constituencies, cannot afford to maintain A stratified random sample of 1,700 commu-
status-quo assumptions about their prospective lead- nity college administrators across 14 position codes
ership pool. To ensure diversity and more accessible was drawn from the American Association of
leadership as well as to ensure vacancies are filled by Community Colleges (AACC) data bank, providing
competent staff, community colleges must consider representation by geographic location, by urban
nontraditional sources of candidates for executive and rural locale, and by single-campus and multi-
positions, such as newly organized or rapidly growing campus sites. Data collection efforts yielded a 54
units of their academic or administrative structure. percent usable survey response rate.
This research brief examines the career paths
and backgrounds of senior administrators in tradi-
tional positions such as chief academic officer and
senior student affairs officer, as well as those of
Abbreviations for Position Titles
administrators in continuing education, occupa-
tional education, and business and industry divisions. Pres: Chancellor, president, provost, or
This brief also examines preparation for administra- otherofficial with overall responsibility for
tive careers and mechanisms for upgrading skills thedistrict, college, or campus
and acquiring additional knowledge and training. CAO: Administrative official responsible for
academic program of the institution
Methodology SSAO: Official responsible for the full range
of student services, including testing, place-
T
he research reported here comes from national ment, and counseling
survey data collected in 2000. In part, the survey CFO: Administrative official responsible
replicated a study conducted in the early 1980s by forbusiness and financial affairs, including
Moore, Martorana, and Twombly (1985). The purchasing, accounting, and investments
study, Today’s Academic Leaders: A National Study of CE: Director responsible for continuing and
Administrators in Two-Year Colleges,provided sys- adult education programs
tematic analyses of two-year administrative careers OVE: Official responsible for all occupational
and various analyses of internal and external labor and technical programming
market issues (Twombly 1986, 1988). It stands as BIL: Official responsible for developing part-
one of the most comprehensive career snapshots of nerships with local business and industry,
a full range of community college administrators. including the development of customized job-
Our 2000 survey instrument consisted of 34 training programs and community economic
open-ended response, closed-ended response, and development
Likert-scale questions. We adapted the Moore et
2 • AACC/Leadership Series, No. 2
Career Trajectories
career within a single institution seems to charac-
terize the career paths that led to the presidency.
President
Only 22 percent of presidents were promoted from
T
he career trajectories of incumbent presidents within their present institution, whereas 66 percent
reflect traditional academic administrative back- were hired from other community colleges; 12 per-
grounds, including past presidencies, as well as a cent came to the presidency from other sectors,
growing proportion of backgrounds in nonaca- including four-year colleges and public schools
demic college administration. Most survey respon- (Figure 2). As their careers progressed, most survey
dents held immediate past positions in what would respondents seemed to spend no more than five years
be considered the traditional senior leadership in each position on the path to the presidency. For
path: provost (37 percent), president at another example, 57 percent of presidents were employed
community college (25 percent), or senior academic in their current positions for five years or fewer; 66
affairs or senior instruction officer (15 percent). percent were in their first previous positions for
Three percent held a dean’s position or the position five years or fewer; and 63 percent were in their
of director of continuing education, whereas 12 second previous positions for five years or fewer.
percent held other administrative positions, such as Thirty-three percent of all presidents held
senior student affairs officer or vice president for positions at four-year institutions at one time ear-
institutional planning and advancement. A small lier in their careers before moving to the commu-
percentage of presidents were promoted directly nity college sector, often as faculty or department
from faculty ranks (2 percent) or from public chairs or as program directors. Seventeen percent
school administration (2 percent). An additional of presidents reported having professional experi-
2percent of presidents came from community ence in the public schools at some point in their
college system boards. None of the survey respon- career (Figure 3).
dents came to the presidency from a private-sector
position (Figure 1). Chief Academic Officer
Some differences exist between the career Obtaining credentials through traditional academic
paths of presidents in 2000 and those of presidents administration still appears to be important for
in 1985, although the largest percentages from both promotion to chief academic officer (CAO) posi-
studies followed traditional academic administration tions. More than 50 percent of CAOs held immedi-
career paths. The percentages of past presidents ate past positions with similar titles such as assistant
and provosts are higher in the current study than or associate dean of instruction. The emergence of
those found in the Moore et al. (1985) study (17 administrative backgrounds in other areas, how-
percent were past presidents and 9 percent were ever, suggests an alternative acceptable career tra-
provosts in the 1985 study), whereas thepercentage jectory. Ten percent of CAOs came from positions
of presidents being promoted fromwithin the hier- in continuing or vocational education, whereas 18
archies of chief academic officer in 1985 was 27 percent came from immediate past positions in stu-
percent. In 1985, 5 percent of presidents studied dent affairs, learning resources, institutional devel-
came directly from the faculty,and 13 percent came opment, and other nonacademic administrative
directly from public school settings. positions. Only 7 percent of administrators were
For respondents to the 2000 survey, movement promoted directly from faculty roles, and just 6
among institutions rather than development of a percent came from outside academe.
AACC/Leadership Series, No. 2 • 3
FIGURE 2 Percentage of Administrators Whose Immediate Previous Position
Was at a Community College: 2000
100
90
80
70
e 60
g Different
a
tnec 50 Scoammmeunity college
re community college
P 40
30
20
10
0
Pres CAO SSAO CFO CE OVE BIL
FIGURE 3 Percentage of Administrators with Work Experience at Four-Year
Institutions, at Public Schools, and in the Private Sector: 2000
50
45
40
35
e 30
g
a Four-year institutions
tne 25 Public schools
cr Private sector
e
P 20
15
10
5
0
Pres CAO SSAO CFO CE OVE BIL
These career paths reflect substantial shifts administrative paths, whereas only 12 percent came
from those represented by CAOs in the study by from other administrative routes. More CAOs came
Moore et al. (1985). Sixty-five percent of CAOs in from outside academe (11 percent) anddirectlyfrom
the earlier study came through traditional academic faculty ranks (9 percent) in the 1985 study.
4 • AACC/Leadership Series, No. 2
Unlike presidents, CAOs in the study were backgrounds. Fifteen percent had worked at four-
more likely to be promoted from within their insti- year institutions, and 17 percent had worked in the
tution (52 percent) than to be hired from another private sector at one time.
community college (28 percent). CAOs held posi-
tions for relatively short periods of time: 74 percent Chief Financial Officers
were employed in their current positions for five Chief financial officers (CFO) built trajectories
years or fewer. Twenty-five percent held positions within the financial network, holding a variety of
at four-year institutions at one point in their careers, job titles including business manager, comptroller
and 19 percent had backgrounds in public schools.1 or controller, auditor, and finance officer. More
than 60 percent of CFOs held immediate past posi-
Senior Student Affairs Officer tions at community colleges (approximately 40 per-
Senior student affairs officers (SSAO) followed a cent at the same community college and 23 percent
traditional career path; most often they were pro- at a different institution). Thirteen percent came
moted from within the division. Fifty-three percent directly from private-sector business and financial
of SSAOs had immediate past positions with simi- jobs, and 5 percent came from financial jobs in
lar titles, such as associate or assistant dean of stu- public schools. Fifty-five percent of CFOs were
dent services. Nineteen percent were directors of new to the position, in place three years or fewer,
counseling. Eleven percent came directly from aca- although they had been at their institutions for an
demic administration with immediate past positions average of 12 years. Many of the CFOs (44 per-
that included dean of instruction, whereas 12 per- cent) held at least one position in the private sector
cent were in other administrative positions such as at some point in their career, and 18 percent held
positions in continuing education, development, at least one position in a public school setting,
and institutional research. Two percent came often working as a business teacher or in a financial
directly from public schools. or business office.
Moore et al. found similar career paths for
SSAOs in 1985. However, 7 percent of SSAOs in Director of Continuing Education
1985 came directly from faculty ranks, whereas Career paths of directors of continuing education
none in 2000 came directly from faculty ranks. A (CE) varied. Most held a title of director, coordina-
greater percentage (14 percent) came directly from tor, or manager of one or more educational pro-
public schools and from outside of academe in 1985. grams such as economic development, continuing
In the current study, 65 percent of SSAOs education, off-campus center, and nontraditional
werepromoted from within the same community credit programs. Most held immediate past posi-
college, and 21 percent moved to their position tions at community colleges (50 percent at the same
from a different community college. An over- community college and 8 percent at a different
whelming 70 percent of respondents were community college). Thirteen percent came directly
employed at the same community college for 10 from private-sector jobs such as manager and center
years or more (on average, 16 years), and SSAOs director. CEs, on average, were in their current posi-
held their current position for an average of 7 tions for seven years. Twenty-nine percent of CEs
years. Few SSAOs (10 percent) had public school had held a job in the private sector at least once in
their careers, whereas 15 percent had held a posi-
1 Percentages do not add up to 100 percent because of missing data. tion in a public school, often as an adult educator.
AACC/Leadership Series, No. 2 • 5
Emerging Feeder Positions
three percent of OVE respondents were in their
Given the rapid institutional growth and rising rate position five years or fewer.
of administrative turnover that characterize the Twenty percent of OVEs held positions at
current community college environment (Shults four-year colleges at some point in their career
2001), the career trajectories of occupational or paths, usually for a short time as a faculty member
vocational educators and business and industry or adjunct instructor. Close to 50 percent of
liaisons require closer examination. Administrators respondents were instructors or faculty members at
in these two areas of organizational growth and community colleges at some point in their career.
increasing status often assume senior leadership Twenty-seven percent had a public school back-
roles in the future and move into the presidential ground. Nine percent had a military background,
pipeline. The 1985 study did not examine these and 11 percent had a nursing or medical technol-
position categories. ogy background. Only 11 percent had held jobs in
the private sector; typically they had worked as
Director of Occupational or Vocational Education consultants, human resources managers, trainers, or
Theterminology of career education has never engineers.
been exact (Cohen and Brawer 1996), as the variety
of the job titles reported under this rubric in the Business and Industry Liaison
2000 survey indicates. Evidently, career educators Business and industry liaisons (BIL) had diverse
at community colleges work, variously, in voca- professional backgrounds and varied titles, which
tional, occupational, professional, vocational- ranged from vice president of economic develop-
technical, and workforce/career education. ment to dean of corporate and community relations
Most occupational or vocational educators to director for the Center for Business and Industry.
(OVE) held their immediate previous position at Because of this diversity, it is unclear how function-
community colleges; 61 percent were employed at ally distinct this category is from directorships in
the samecommunity college and 23 percent moved CE and OVE. The fast emergence of the BIL posi-
from a different community college into their cur- tion in community college hierarchies is underscored
rent position. Forty-one percent of OVEs had tra- by the finding that close to 40 percent of the respond-
ditional career paths and moved into the position ents were the first to hold their current position. In
directly from associate or assistant dean or director addition, 79 percent of BIL had been in their cur-
positionsor from department chair positions. rent position for five years or less.
Nineteen percent advanced directly from instructor Forty-four percent of respondents were pro-
or faculty ranks into their current position. Only 5 moted from within the same community college.
percent came directly from private-sector jobs, and Nine percent held immediate previous positions at
only 5 percent came directly from a public school different community colleges, 16 percent at four-
setting. The remainder of OVEs held immediate year colleges, and 12 percent in the private sector.
previous positionsat community colleges in such Thirty percent of respondents moved into their
roles as director of student services, career coun- positions through a traditional administrative hier-
selor, director of humanresources, and assistant to archy. Sixteen percent advanced from faculty ranks,
the president. Although the OVEs studied had many coming from adjunct faculty positions. Only
been at their institution for an average of 14 years, 9 percent had essentially the same title in their pre-
most were relatively new to their position. Sixty- vious position and made lateral moves between
6 • AACC/Leadership Series, No. 2
institutions or within their current institution. officers, and 3 percent of presidents were women.
Another 12 percent made the career move from a Women’s representation in administrative posi-
county or state job, such as regional coordinator for tions, however, is still not proportionate to their
a state department or as director of a state eco- presence in the classroom or in the ranks of
nomic development department. community college faculty. Across the surveyed
More complete career trajectories showed that administrative positions, women made up approxi-
21 percent of BILs had no previous college or uni- mately 46 percent of the respondents, but women
versity employment . Another 14 percent had pro- remain underrepresented in certain administrative
fessional experience at a four-year college, but no positions such as president, CFO, and OVE
community college employment experience. (Figure 4).
Thirty-five percent of respondents had at least Few gender differences exist in career trajecto-
some background in private-sector work, typically ries of senior administrators. Male and female
as trainers or managers. Twenty-one percent administrators seem to follow similar career paths.
worked at a public school at some point in their The most notable gender differences are the aver-
career, and another 20 percent had experience age numbers of years in a position (Figure 5) and
working in a county, state, or federal department. the degree to which men and women are hired into
their current position from their current institution
Gender and Ethnic Differences or from other sectors (Figure 6). Except for OVEs,
in Career Trajectories female administrators were in their current position
The number of women in senior administrative for fewer years than male administrators. Except
positions has increased since the mid 1980s, when for the positions of president and BIL, women
Moore, et al. (1985) found that 16 percent of chief were more likely than men to be promoted from
academic officers, 12 percent of chief business within the same community college.
FIGURE 4 Representation of Women in Senior Administrative Positions: 2000
100
90
80
70
e 60
g
a
tn Male
e 50
c Female
r
e
P
40
30
20
10
0
Pres CAO SSAO CFO CE OVE BIL
AACC/Leadership Series, No. 2 • 7
FIGURE 5 Average Years in Current Position, by Gender: 2000
10
9
8
7
6
s
r Male
a 5
e Female
Y
4
3
2
1
0
Pres CAO SSAO CFO CE OVE BIL
FIGURE 6 Percentage of Administrators Hired from within Their Current
Institution, by Gender: 2000
80
70
60
50
e
g
a
tn Male
e 40 Female
c
r
e
P
30
20
10
0
Pres CAO SSAO CFO CE OVE BIL
8 • AACC/Leadership Series, No. 2
The representation of administrators of color positions are included in the education and profes-
has not increased substantially since the mid-1980s, sional development sections.
when Moore et al. (1985) found that 90 percent of
their survey respondents were white. About 84 per- Educational Attainment of
cent of those administrators who responded in Administrators
2000 were white (Figure 7). Because the percentage
F
of administrators in nonwhite racial or ethnic cate- orty-one percent of survey respondents indicated
gories was so small, a separate analysis of career that an M.A., M.S., M.Ed., M.P.A., M.S.N., or
paths and career issues was not feasible. M.S.W. was their highest earned degree. Seven
percent have an M.B.A., and5 percent have an
Other Administrative Positions M.L.S. as their highest degree. More than 18 per-
Besides the springboard positions to the community cent have an Ed.D., and more than 19 percent have
college presidency already described in this research a Ph.D. (Figure 8). More than 45 percent of men in
brief, other administrative areas were represented the sample have either an Ed.D. or a Ph.D.; in con-
in the data, including development and institutional trast, 20 percent of women in the sample hold such
advancement, human resources, learning resources, degrees (Figure9).
distance education, institutional research, and other Among respondents who completed an Ed.D.
student services such as enrollment management, or Ph.D., the most popular fields of study were
financial aid, and minority resources. Although higher education administration and educational
complete career trajectories for these positions are leadership, as well as other education-related fields
not presented here, data from respondents in these such as educational policy studies, curriculum and
FIGURE 7 Race or Ethnicity of Administrators: 2000
Asian
Native American
1%
1%
Black/African American
6%
Hispanic
Did not respond
Multiracial 4% 2%
1%
White
84%
Note: Percentages do not add up to 100 because of rounding.
AACC/Leadership Series, No. 2 • 9
FIGURE 8 Administrators’ Highest Earned Degree: 2000
Associate Degree
1%
Bachelor's Degree
9%
PhD
19%
EdD
18%
Master's Degree (MA, MS,
MEd, MPA, MSN, MSW)
41%
JD
1%
MLS
5% MBA
7%
Note: Percentages do not add up to 100 because of rounding.
FIGURE 9 Educational Attainment of Administrators, by Gender: 2000
60
50
40
e
g
a
tn 30 Male
ec Female
r
e
P
20
10
0
Bachelor's or Master's degree including EdD PhD
associate degree MBA and MLS
10 • AACC/Leadership Series, No. 2